From the Archivist

Occasional posts related to University history

Latest Blog Posts

What started as an act of post-war technical aid led to the fondly known “sister relationship” between the University of Minnesota and Seoul National University (SNU) beginning in the mid-1950s. Spanning eight years, the partnership left a historic mark on both institutions

KUOM radio's Minnesota School of the Air series People Worth Hearing About first aired in 1969 with programs that featured biographies of prominent African Americans. In 1971, the program broadcast an interview with Dr. Joyce Jackson, the newly appointed Principal of Central High School in Minneapolis.

The Roseau Stone is a small, smooth, one-and-a-half-inch oblong sedimentary stone. The stone was found in an area near the present-day town of Roseau, Minnesota, in 1916 or 1918. There are many theories about the origin of the stone. For the past 50 years, it was part of the collections at the University of Minnesota Archives.

The University of Minnesota Libraries has received $44,000 for its digitization project: "University Radio at Risk: Digital Preservation Reformatting of Educational Radio." The grant is from the Council on Library and Information Resourc and will be used to preserve about 2,500 aging reel-to-reel audio recordings.

Latest News from the Libraries

MN Writes MN Reads is grounded in openness to everyone in the state — to schools, libraries, communities, and individuals. Nationwide, self-publishing increased 40% from 2017 to 2018. Supporting those indie writers trying to improve the discoverability of their book and make a living is an important role for MN Writes MN Reads, says Sarah Hawkins, Project Manager for the Metropolitan Library Service Agency.

Dean of Libraries Lisa German provides a statement on behalf of the University of Minnesota Libraries related to the the murder of George Floyd: "We must recognize our responsibility to make a difference, to not simply analyze racial injustice but also to listen to people of color in our community and be a part of the solutions they propose. We in the U of M Libraries cannot be complacent about racism."

As we mourn George Floyd’s death and try to honor his life through opposing violent policing and systemic racism, it is essential that white people like me make meaningful commitments to antiracist work. If you are white and unsure of where to begin, these books are all a good place to start.